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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26384512">You've Come To Keep Me Company</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kizaito_Hiruma/pseuds/Kizaito_Hiruma'>Kizaito_Hiruma</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Akumanette Songfics [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Autistic Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Gabriel Agreste redemption, Gen, Hello Anxiety AU, Hurt/Comfort, Kwami Swap, No Romance, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Songfic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:01:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,186</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26384512</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kizaito_Hiruma/pseuds/Kizaito_Hiruma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She doesn't have that many people to rely on, but for the few she has, she'd trust her life with. A fencer with no social skills, a musician with an ear for people, the mayor's daughter, and her sworn nemesis. She wasn't expecting the last one.</p><p>A series of one-shots revolving around my previous fic. All one-shots have an established Gabriel and Marinette friendship via Hello, Anxiety unless implied to not be the case but are otherwise not in chronological order. Tags will be updated as time goes on. May contain elements of other AUs.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth &amp; Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Akumanette Songfics [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1756453</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>227</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I'm Craving Something Real</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to the Hello Anxiety AU. For those who haven't read the original one-shot, this is a fic that revolves around the friendship of Hawkmoth and Marinette. This is not an original idea. I read the idea in a fic a while back, I think it was titled Hey, Hawky. A key detail for this AU is that Hawkmoth can not sense any of the akuma's surroundings unless it has fully akumatized someone.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter title taken from the song Hello, Anxiety by Phum Viphurit. Canon divergence, post-Chameleon pre-Miracle Queen.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    For many of Ms. Bustier's class, Marinette was the worst person ever. Maybe she was always the bully who kept ruining things and trying to frame Lila, maybe she only changed when the class darling came around. Either way, she proved herself to be evil incarnate. Invalidating Lila? Beating her up when no one's looking? It was all because she was jealous of how wonderful the Italian girl's life had been despite all her disabilities. At some point, they had enough of Marinette. They needed to make it known that she wasn't wanted, so they gave her a taste of her own medicine. For every time she made Lila cry, every time she tripped Lila, or stole her things, they did it to her. Anything to make her pay for what she did to Lila.</p><p>    Except it wasn't like that at all. Marinette was always the sweet girl they met in their younger years. Always the literal bright pink in a crowd, wearing cute clothes that made her stand out. Now, she was relegated to the back. No one batted a friendly eye at her, so she was always shrinking in her seat and hoping no one saw her. Gone was the adorable ensemble, instead she wore layers of darker clothes with long sleeves that hid as much of her skin as possible. She looked miserable, and no one would care. </p><p>    There was a benefit to it, though. As she sat behind a tree during their lunch break, she watched fondly as a small purple butterfly flitted towards a bracelet under the sleeves of her hoodie. </p><p>    "By yourself again?" came the joking tone of Hawkmoth.</p><p>    "At least I go outside." Came an equally teasing remark from the girl.</p><p>    Her voice was small, barely audible in her lone corner of the park, but it was loud enough for her companion to hear. Somehow, Hawkmoth had befriended her over the course of several failed akumatizations. Since then, Marinette had been making him gifts, little accessories that the villain could possess for a chat. Tikki's been reluctant to allow it, but so far Hawkmoth has honored his promise of not akumatizing her for his own gain. How no one's ever noticed the black butterfly will be a mystery to her.</p><p>    "Did your classmates do anything this time?" Hawkmoth asked, noting the sudden bloom of pink and yellow in the girl's mind. Must be her favorite pastries for lunch today.</p><p>    "Not yet, but I'm pretty sure Kim has something planned in the cafeteria," Marinette paused to swallow a bite of a homemade quiche, "so I'm in the park right now."</p><p>    Lunch was forty minutes long, but the park was a five minute run away. The later the teen was, the riskier it was to enter the classroom, so she stuffed the quiche in her mouth, picked up her things, and made her short trip back to the room. It was her classmates who thought of her as a monster, so she only had to avoid them to get to safety. Easy, since they all stood out in a crowd. She dashed up the stairs and into her room. Hawkmoth's akuma still resided in her bracelet, so she had to be careful not to let it be seen. There was still a good seven minutes until the bell rang, but Marinette couldn't risk bringing her sketchbook out. Someone might walk in, after all. School had become dangerous for her. Good thing she made a habit of bringing her things around with her, but then she'd have to defend her bag if she was cornered. But her locker's been tampered with before, and there wasn't any other convenient hiding place that her classmates couldn't touch-</p><p>    "Are you still breathing?" A voice in her mind broke the girl's thoughts.</p><p>    She blinked, "What?"</p><p>    "You went quiet."</p><p>    "No, no! It's nothing important." She was quick to deny it, but the quiet sigh that echoed in her mind told the baker's daughter she was caught.</p><p>    "You're overthinking again." She could almost imagine a concerned look on his face, but she didn't even know what he looked like. "You're going to pass out."</p><p>    Marinette felt her face warm in embarrassment and hissed back at him, "That was one time!"</p><p>    She cringed at the memory. At the height of the bullying, the early days of her and Hawkmoth's odd friendship, Marinette was on her way home from making a delivery when the girls of their class, Lila included, happened to pass by. The look of disappointment from Rose, the insults Alix launched, and the overall disgust they exuded left Marinette with a nasty panic attack in her room. Her breathing was so uneven she eventually passed out. A blessing in disguise according to the older man, but it was humiliating for the younger girl.</p><p>    "One time too many. You weren't outside when it happened." Hawkmoth sounded like an old man, which was both annoying and oddly comforting. "What if you passed out on the streets and a car ran over you?"</p><p>    "That's enough from you! Lunch will be over any second now so you might want to go before people see an akuma in the classroom."</p><p>    At least someone was concerned for her. Tikki nudged her from within her purse. Right, she had her kwami with her too. In response the designer placed a hand inside. It would not be long until her classmates came back to harass her, but right now she was okay. The support of the city's most wanted and a tiny goddess, and it was more genuine than anything her class could do.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry it's shorter than my other fics! I am really busy right now and I don't have much steam ^^;;; Anyway, I've decided that for this fic, I'll use the end chapter notes to pose some questions. Strike up a convo, y'know? I'm bad at catching details and usually I'm out of the loop for many things, so this is also a chance for me to learn. Keep in mind that all questions/topics are meant in good faith. </p><p>SO! With that in mind, what do you guys think of Maribat/DCU crossovers? I never knew how it came to be or why people seem to love it so much, so I'm interested in your answers!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. I Was Living In Solitude For A Long Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Title taken from Ambivalent by Eve. Kwami swap AU. All characters have been aged up 3 years.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Partners don't need to do the same amount of work, they just need to perceive each other as partners. Less than a partner, and the other person is a tool. The latter was easy for outsiders. After all, Misterbug was the more important person of Paris's main duo. He was overemotional, a little soft for someone putting his life on the line, but at the end of the day he cleansed the akuma. He's bright red, easy to pick apart from the crowd. The hero of every cartoon wore red. And in every hero's cartoon, they have a sidekick. The lesser one, "Hero Jr.", whose job was to be less useful than the hero, and yet the hero treasures the sidekick like they were equals. If Misterbug was the hero, Kitty Noire was definitely the sidekick. She was all black, with a few green accents here and there. Villains wear black, but she's not a villain. She's the "lesser" of the two. Misterbug can reverse all damages, so what did it matter that Kitty Noire was thrown around? Manipulated? <em>Killed?</em></p><p>    On the surface, they were partners. They called each other partners, treated each other like partners. When reporters forget Kitty Noire, Misterbug would chastise them endlessly. Deep inside, however, everyone knew: Misterbug was the hero and Kitty Noire was the sidekick. No matter how anyone looked at it, it was true. It was because of this truth that Kitty Noire played this role perfectly. What used to be her shouting plans for Misterbug and the occasional civilian/superhero became Misterbug relaying it to the team and everyone believing it was his idea. She played dumb when her partner tried to point all the praise towards her. That was fine, because the sidekick calling the shots just wasn't right.</p><p>    That was the role played by Kitty Noire, the dumb, playful sidekick of the miraculous Misterbug. </p><p>    If she wanted to, she could get angry. Instead, she held it in and wore the biggest smile she could muster in and out of the mask. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, "star student" of Bustier's class and the local trouble magnet. What used to be her getting bullied by Chloe became her "bullying" Lila. If you keep fighting your role, you get tired, so Marinette kept quiet and played that role too. She was the baker's daughter, and PR is important for any business, so there's the customer service role. She was the bubbly pink only child of Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain, so there's the obedient daughter role. MDC, the exclusive designer. Class representative. Student Council secretary. Friend to several famous people. As she gained more responsibilities, she learned to take up more roles. </p><p>    It's not as though she hated any of what she picked up. Kitty Noire was a fresh breath of air, a wild past time and part time job. All her civilian responsibilities kept her too busy to really care about anything else. She was Jagged Stone's go-to designer, Clara Nightingale's friend, the namesake of world famous Wang Cheng's soup. She had all of these to her name, yet something didn't feel right. Something was stopping her from connecting these achievements to her. </p>
<hr/><p>    It started on a Tuesday. A nasty remark from Ivan during band practice sent Marinette running as fast as she could. No destination in mind, just run. Her bad luck had kicked in and several times she nearly tripped or got ran over. It was around halfway through her marathon that she thought of a quiet little corner she could rest at, an abandoned store she broke the window of during a stressful patrol. The sharp glass had long been Cataclysmed away for a cleaner entrance and the remaining shards were swept into a corner; a safe haven no one else knew about but her. Plagg knew the girl was sensitive about him being outside her purse when in public, and out of concern someone might walk in at the sound of crying he settled for quiet purring in her jacket pocket. He was unaware of the magic butterfly landing on a wristband Luka had given her, but the darker edges of the girl's mind came through and he slowly poked his head out her pocket. Before he could decide whether to reveal himself and destroy the wristband, Marinette had chased him off. Since then, it became increasingly easier for Hawkmoth to track her down on a bad day. The slightest inconvenience called akumas no matter where she was. The little kwami couldn't do anything as Marinette had forbidden him to show himself to the butterflies.</p><p>    On the fifth day, she lost her patience. Hidden once again in her safe zone, she almost raised her voice at the stalker in her head. The reply Hawkmoth gave was both confident and poisonous, explaining like the antagonist of a children's superhero cartoon that each akuma did in fact grow the little root of his magic in the void of her psyche. It was an overpowered trait that put her at a disadvantage, and the revelation only added Marinette's insecurities. So she busied herself once again, Luka being her contact for Kitty Section until Lila took over, pet sitting Fang until Jagged went on a world tour, doing her schoolwork diligently until there was nothing left for her to do. Nothing worked, she still felt as empty as before. The haunting feeling of being Hawkmoth's puppet was driving her crazy, and no one seemed to notice her paling skin, her darkening eyebags or the number of items she had broken to get rid of him. The whole thing made everything at school even worse than it already was. Hawkmoth may be a bother, but he surprisingly didn't force his akumatizations on her, unlike when her classmates would scheme to ruin her day, pull off the plan perfectly, and somehow add to the suffering afterwards. Or could it be that he couldn't? Either way, she was losing her mind.</p><p>    Not to mention her performance dropping with her brain intent on making her lose sleep and appetite. Misterbug noticed and urged her to take it easy or even sit some battles out, but the media commenting on her increasing slip ups and his constant concern pushed Kitty Noire to work harder at the cost of her health and sanity. Plagg dropped the indifferent act and begged his Chosen to let go of even a single responsibility to give her room to breathe. On one night when she collapsed on her bed after a patrol, he flew off to meet with Tikki, but even Tikki was at a loss when several times Plagg followed her advice only to change almost nothing. </p><p>    Over a week had passed since the first butterfly, and now thirty-one butterflies had all attempted to sway Marinette. She curled up under the counter of the store where she set up a sort of secret base. At least under the blanket she made from scrap fabrics she felt a little better, and Plagg could properly hide under the folds as he purred on her shoulder. A butterfly merged with a small flower pin that was holding back her hair that had recently become so hard to maintain.</p><p>    “What do you want?” She muttered, ignoring her kwami rustling under the blanket to look at her.</p><p>    “Ah, eager. I need—”<br/>
<br/>
    Marinette hissed at him. “I know what you want. I meant why do you keep bothering me.”</p><p>    “I’ve told you before, your emptiness is desirable for my little akumas.” Hawkmoth could almost hear her huffing, chances are he actually did hear her huffing. “I have been watching you, and the image gets clearer as I leave more and more magic in you. You are no one. You have wasted away your life for this and that, and now you have no place in your own mind. Come with me, child, I will make you a great actor on this grand stage.”</p><p>    The younger held back a dry laugh; she was already an actor, that’s why she was so exhausted. “... I’m tired.”</p><p>    Even as the villain kept on talking, trying to sell promises to her, she had already tuned him out. Tired was an understatement. Her body felt light and heavy at the same time, and she wasn’t really in the mood to cry again. She had nothing left in her to fight back. Something unnatural moved in her, she guessed it was the akuma’s magic. It was then she realized Hawkmoth had stopped talking. Neither of them spoke another word before Marinette snapped the charm off the pin, releasing the butterfly. The sun was about to set and she had to hurry home to finish some papers for her internship applications.</p>
<hr/><p>    She got accepted in about half of her applications. After weighing their offers and considering other factors like schedule and location, she settled on Gabriel Agreste’s company. The documents sent to her said she’d be earning a small allowance which was unusual to her since it was just internship, but during the interview Nathalie explained it as recognition of her talents. In the end she shrugged it off as her inexperience in the industry not knowing what’s normal. Gabriel had the best offers in comparison to the other companies, so it was better that way. </p><p>    She would start Friday the following week, and she spent her weekend agonizing over the inevitable akuma, but none came. Plagg tossed a comically large wedge of cheese in his mouth and joked that Hawkmoth had gained humanity for a day. Unbeknownst to Marinette, Plagg was right. At her frown, he let out a loud burp and stinky bubble, which prompted a giggle and a playful scolding from the girl. </p><p>    Friday arrived a little too quickly for the anxious child, though Plagg promised he’d be there with her, he’d be there regardless, but the reassurance helped her nerves just a tad bit. Nathalie personally escorted her through the office and explained her duties. Research trending designs and track material prices, pitch her ideas to her supervisor, and observe the ins and outs of having a fashion desk job. Sure, it was no “right hand of Gabriel Agreste” sort of work, but she didn’t expect it to be. If anything, she preferred it this way. Her new co-workers seemed nice, though the interns seemed to have a different space from regular employees, but at least everyone was professional with their work. </p><p>    Later that day Gabriel himself came to the office. Marinette held a hand to her chest to calm her jumping heart. It was apparently a surprise for the other employees as well, but Gabriel merely said it was his responsibility as the owner to check on the company now and then. At the moment, all the interns were busy sketching away ideas their supervisor had approved for a mock casual catalogue with a theme of flowers. The man did watch them, noting those with potential, though he took interest in Marinette’s design. It was a pastel pink dress with a skirt shaped like flower petals. On the back was a medium sized ribbon that looked like a swallowtail, with the veins of the wings forming her signature M. Simple yet cute. It was not the best, but it certainly was excellent work considering some of the other interns were still scratching their head. Gabriel nodded to himself.</p><p>    At the end of the work day, Marinette slipped away from the interns who were mingling together and back to her single blanket nest at the safe zone. She had messed up a task and had accidentally passed the wrong documents to her supervisor. It was immediately corrected but still embarrassing. Over and over, her mind chastised her for not playing the role of a good employee, blocking out the butterfly that possessed her temporary ID card. Hawkmoth quietly listened to her internal sobbing all the while, wondering what to say.</p><p>    When she calmed down enough he did say hello, earning a screech from her. Amusing, but he knew now was not an appropriate time to tease her. Perhaps another day.</p>
<hr/><p>    On Monday, the class gathered around Lila Rossi during their lunch break to listen to how Gabriel Agreste was so impressed with her application she was hired on the spot. No one seemed to realize she was already working as a model for him, though when someone pointed it out she was quick to say she was now hired as both a designer and a model. Someone else who applied but got rejected got akumatized over the lie, and Marinette hurriedly hid to transform and beat the akuma. It soured her previously somewhat good mood to watch her civilian best friend— ex-best friend, Plagg would later remind her— and Lila corner her masked best friend near the stairs. She mustered up what little energy she had for the classic Kitty Noire demeanor, but Misterbug seemed to have caught how her voiced cracked when Alya offered to interview her. The black cat vaulted towards her balcony and detransformed in her room before sneaking out and back into school.</p><p>    Lila had moved towards the entrance so everyone who ran away would immediately hear her loud blabbing on their way back to the campus. It would be difficult to make her way through the wall of her classmates without seeing Lila sneer at her, so she ended up climbing in through a window of an unused classroom. The first akuma didn’t seem to be enough for Hawkmoth, because later he’d send one for her pencil during art club. He listened to her scream at him internally then, after apologizing, tried starting a conversation. He asked her about her studies, to which she honestly replied it was going well. After a while she got comfortable; she realized how much she missed talking to someone. It was the first conversation she properly remembered.</p>
<hr/><p>    A semester had passed since then. She was still playing her role as the playful, dramatic Kitty Noire, but she dropped the class rep role. With the allowance she earned from internship, she managed to buy some pretty trinkets that she kept in a box tied with a neat little bow. Misterbug and Rena Rouge had confirmed Hawkmoth’s identity as Gabriel Agreste, and they were going to raid the underground bunker that day while Hawkmoth was inside search the city for potential akumas (how they got that info was a mystery to the Black Cat). Calling Plagg to the ring, she raced for the meeting point.</p><p>    The fight itself was not hard. The team that showed up consisted of Kitty Noire, Misterbug, Rena Rouge, Carapace, Queen Bee, Viperion, and Ryuuko while Hawkmoth’s only ally was Mayura. There was no target convenient enough to help the two villains and Misterbug was able to catch any akumas and amoks aiming for him or his companions. They were eventually stripped of their Miraculous and tied down thanks to the Lucky Charm, a roll of duct tape. The group has a mini celebration as Ryuuko dialed the police. Viperion turned around to call Kitty Noire and caught her sitting down infront of Gabriel and setting a pink box with a ribbon tied into a bow between them. In a flash of light, Kitty Noire was replaced with Marinette. Misterbug reached a hand to stop her from doing anything, but Viperion pulled him and the rest of the team away. There was an understanding look in his eyes that told the Ladybug that letting this happen was the best course of action. </p><p>    Marinette genuinely smiled for the first time in what felt like years and lightly bowed her head as sirens blared in the distance, “Thank you for everything.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>To be honest I can’t stop thinking about how I ended DIVINE. When it comes to the flow and the fact that I finished it, yeah I’m satisfied. But how I actually beat the akuma? Not satisfied at all, but it could just be me. The question for this chapter! If you’ve read DIVINE, what do you think about the ending?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. If I Don’t Lead, Where Will They Go?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter title taken from Pretty Boy by Joji. Canon Divergence, post-Miracle Queen.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Ladybug, the picture-perfect hero of Paris. Leader of what would later be dubbed “Team Miraculous”, and for good reason. She had all the crazy ideas that thwarted Hawkmoth over and over in cartoonish and absurd ways. Needless to say, anyone and everyone became wholly obedient if Ladybug was the one asking them to do something. Chat Noir and the rest of Team Miraculous would follow her orders to a T, and citizens who got dragged into the plan would keep her words in mind like a fanatic to a prophet. Who wouldn’t? Many times, their lives were literally at stake. Hell, even if it wasn’t directly so, no one really knew what Hawkmoth wanted the prized jewels for, so they’d rather make sure what ever nefarious evil doing he had going on never succeeded.</p><p>    Marinette, the worst person to ever exist. When it comes to her class, her roles are president and rep were the only things she had left tying her to an otherwise dangerous environment, and the reason for her keeping said roles was simply so the class didn't collapse in on itself. Could Lila Rossi fulfill even half of what she had done? She doubted it, though many times she had considered just giving that to Lila too. But other than that, she made herself as invisible as possible. The class no longer pestered her for new clothes and accessories, and her the few people she could trust were thoughtful enough to insist she use her free time for herself, and so she did. She studied more to make up for the times hero work got in the way of school. She perfected housework to prepare her for adult life. She even had time to research and review possible career paths.</p><p>    Where do these two intersect? People follow them. No matter how much her class, mostly Lila, tried to sabotage her plans, Marinette played every card right to make sure whatever she had to do was just right. Class fund raiser? Went over the goal. Field trip? Whole day was filled with little time for boredom. School competition? Her class was a favorite among the judges. Similarly, Ladybug's signal was all it took for Hawkmoth to lose. Shoot a pebble there, illusion here, put up a barrier, and all that was left to do was catch the butterfly and cast the Cure.</p><p>    But no matter how important her position was, she wanted to give everything up. Marinette was tired. Ladybug was tired. Tired of having to deal with her school's blatant disregard for her situation. Tired of sneaking out at night to coordinate with Team Miraculous. Tired of malicious eyes. Tired of broken bones, no matter how many times the Cure fixes it up. </p>
<hr/><p>    "Tire-ranny, I am Hawkmoth-"</p><p>    "Shut it, I have a massive headache right now."</p><p>    Marinette looked up from where she was slumped over her table. Her phone had turned black with a dark purple mist emanating from it. If Hawkmoth didn't disturb her she would've fallen asleep, right on top of a form to be submitted to the student council. Definitely not ideal.</p><p>    "I offer you the power to grant rest to the weary and lord over those who drive them onwards, in return-"</p><p>    A loud groan. She didn't have time for this. She was going to receive an email from one of her teachers soon regarding some documents she needed. "Come back, I don't know.... Next Saturday? I'm busy."</p><p>    Hawkmoth's sputtering was a welcome comedic relief from whatever task she was working on... ah, there's the email notification. Now she needed to contact a small boutique for an internship. "Get off my phone now. I need to make a call and I really don't want to smash my phone."</p><p>    The shock of how nonchalant Marinette was towards him was incredible. How do you force someone like that to become an akuma? It's as though she couldn't care less that the biggest threat in Paris was currently in her head. Reluctantly, he called the butterfly back with a cartoonish promise to return.</p>
<hr/><p>    After getting caught in the rain during an afternoon delivery, Marinette lay confined to her bed with a pretty bad fever. Actually, she was more <em>stuck</em> to her bed, as the seemingly endless sweat made the sheets stick to any skin that wasn't hidden under clothes. In 30 minutes, she had to meet up with Chat Noir and Carapace for their day patrol. In 15 minutes, she had to send over a budget draft for the upcoming semester's activities. No time to be laying around sick, yet there she was. She glanced over at the window, just in time to see a black butterfly squeeze through her blinds. One minute, and it would land on whatever was convenient for it to possess.</p><p>    "Plague Doctor, I am Hawkmoth-"</p><p>    She groaned. If not for how much she wanted to sleep, she'd flip the finger at him. "Can't you see I'm sick?"</p><p>    "Ah, but I can give you the cure to your sickness, and so much more-"</p><p>    "You realize getting sick is such a minor inconvenience, right? Can you maybe go away?"</p><p>    Hawkmoth complied rather readily, but the girl had not even a second to feel relief when screams arose from the streets outside the window and a strange looking woman flying around on perhaps the ugliest contraption she's ever seen. Tikki flitted out from her hiding spot under Marinette's pillow with an apologetic smile. </p><p>    "Duty calls, I guess." She reluctantly called for her transformation.</p>
<hr/><p>    "Mad-jesty-"</p><p>    "Soluna-"</p><p>    "Diva-"</p><p>    "Top Tierrible-"</p><p>    Marinette squeezed her eyes shut in irritation. Work as Ladybug and as class president has had her prone to a bit more negativity than she would allow, and the annoying butterflies that followed just worsened things. She couldn't get akumatized, not when there was so much on her shoulders. Team Miraculous was nothing without Ladybug, and there wasn't a single person in her class who wouldn't immediately be overwhelmed by the meticulous requirements set by the student council. The classroom was always empty at lunch, so she rested her head on the cool surface of her table, idly scribbling on a random page of her notebook. Yet another butterfly landed on her pencil.</p><p>    "Pikonator, I am Hawkmoth."</p><p>    She sighed, no longer willing to muster up any energy to tell him to piss off. "All your names are lame. If you want to convince me, at least make me sound cool."</p><p>    The villain had become accustomed to her sharp wit, though his pause made it seem as though his poor naming sense never occurred to him. "Then do you have a name you want me to call you by?"</p><p>    "Think of an akuma name later. I have a very important meeting with the other class reps in the afternoon." She waved her hand lazily at the air, sure that he could see her.</p><p>    "I don't think you realize how aware of your situation I am. I have seen you work endlessly for ungrateful and malicious people. Why put yourself in that position? Why not let go of them?"</p><p>    Why was she going so far for people who didn't even care? Sure, Chat did well with reassuring her place not only as Ladybug, but as a team member was important, but why was she shouldering so much of that burden herself? Why was she putting up with running her class if they were going to harass her anyway? Marinette thoughtfully paused. Why not at least give up the class rep role? Surely someone else could do it, even if they struggled. But Rose got distracted far too easily. Alix and Kim would trash or abandon their duties. Ivan tended to lose his temper. Juleka and Nathanael were too shy. Alya had a one track mind dedicated to super hero journalism. Every classmate she came up with was accompanied with strong reasons for them to never take the position.</p><p>    "Tell me, child. What is holding you back? I am willing to give you everything you want, all in exchange for a small favor. What is stopping you?"</p><p>    Guardian. Responsibilities. School. Literally holding on to a god. If she gave up being Guardian, who would protect the Miracle Box? If she gave up being Ladybug, who would keep the balance with Chat Noir? If she gave up being class president, who would keep the class running?</p><p>    "... I'm tired. I can't sit down and relax, because the moment I step away breathe... the class would fall apart."</p><p>    "Leave that to me, child."</p><p>    Don't humor him anymore, she thought, snapping her pencil in two. She would get her rest in due time. Right now, getting akumatized would hurt her and the city more than anything Hawkmoth could come up with. Tikki later chased after the akuma and purified it before Hawkmoth could realize, giving Marinette a little time to close her eyes. If I'm not at the helm, the ship will sink.</p><p>    Just hold on a little longer.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Originally this chapter was going to be from Bad End Night by Hitoshizuku-P and Yama, but it was getting unnecessarily long and uninspired so i scrapped it while listening to Pretty Boy and bam new chapter idea. </p><p>For anyone curious, the original chapter I was wrote was going to be the first in a three part mini story where the first chapter was directly related to Bad End Night. The idea was mari gets akumatized, and the first part is her “dream” or what she sees while her akuma destroys Paris and nabs the miraculous. Upon being released, Gabriel unites the Black Cat and Ladybug and makes a wish that sends him back in time, which would have been the second chapter, a bit closer to Crazy Night or Twilight Night, as Emilie still falls asleep and Gabriel, now aware of the Ladybug holder’s identity, constantly trying to bring her back. The third part, taken from Ever Lasting Night, is Gabriel’s acceptance, having seen literally everything about Mari from all his failed attempts at saving Emilie. This time Mari makes the wish, which does save Emilie, and Gabriel makes one last wish in an attempt to save Mari.</p><p>I'm tired.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Be The Next To Claim It</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter title taken from JubyPhonic’s cover of Wozwald. No Powers AU. Implied autistic Marinette. Please correct me in the comments.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>   Marinette was a special girl. She was very animated, her quick talking accompanied by exaggerated movements and facial expressions. She loved bright colors, so she took up all sorts of creative hobbies like drawing and sewing. She loved learning about how things worked, so she played with a lot of puzzles. And even though sometimes her sense overwhelmed her, she loved being outside. Even though sometimes everything was too loud, or sometimes her body wouldn’t cooperate and randomly shiver, or sometimes she got stuck in her own head, there was something to love about her. She was always so thoughtful, coming up with new ways to impress her friends and win over the trust of the adults around her. </p><p>    As she got older and her skills became more refined, she caught the eyes of many similarly talented people. Many of them were people who had already stepped into the public eye, and two of them were big names known internationally. Much as it shouldn’t, it was always a fun surprise to the people who watched her cry because a passing truck honked too loud or the lights were too bright when she was younger. More and more, her work gained exposure through her connections, although she herself stayed under the radar. It was a great joy for Marinette, who thought of herself as clumsy. </p><p>    Despite her ever growing fame, she remained a thoughtful girl to everyone around her. If someone’s skirt tore, she would patch it up. If someone didn’t bring their lunch, she shared hers. If someone looked unhappy, she lent an ear. In her class of similarly special people, Marinette was there for everyone. The new girl, Lila Rossi, was no different. The Italian was welcomed with a warm croissant, fresh out of the oven, and a bright smile. But alas, Marinette did not like sitting still, so she rarely ever had time to just lean back and listen to Lila’s grand adventures. </p><p>    “So Georgie said, ‘I was thinking of adding a verse here’, but then I told him to pass me a guitar, and he loved it so much that he just used the riff I played as the final minute of the song.” She sat on her desk with crossed legs, excitedly telling them about a song she supposedly helped a famous artist write. </p><p>    "But you aren't anywhere on the credits. Not even in the official audio's description." Juleka pointed out. </p><p>    "Well, it's hard to tell the world that some kid played a very recognizable part of your song. Plus, it was Georgie's song, not mine, so I let him have it."</p><p>    A low chorus of ohs sounded as the class muttered praises amongst themselves. Lila was so amazing. Lila had been all over the world. Lila met Prince Ali! Even Rose, who became friends with Prince Ali, was not allowed to spend as much time with him as Lila had. There was so much to say about Lila, who was this incredible new girl with a hand in seemingly everything. The new video game by miHomu? She designed the protagonists and wrote the story. Knights of Ark? The entire Vix race was based on her. Georgie's new album, Flora Syrup? She made the beat for his song Oxide. </p><p>    "She's so cool!"</p><p>    "I wonder if she ever met my favorite artists..."</p><p>    "I wonder if she's met Marinette before!"</p><p>    The class seemed to latch on to that last one. After all, while maybe not as big as Lila seemed to be, Marinette definitely was involved in some things here and there. She often helped with her parents' bakery, which resulted in meetings with big names who held meetings or events in Paris. Suddenly, Lila seemed a little less impressive. Sure, she did way more than Marinette, but she wasn't the first in the class to be doing big things.</p><p>    But she was the first to talk about it.</p><p>    "Marinette? We've never met, but I'm sure one day she will! She has a long way to go, but I think she's okay."</p><p>    Said girl wasn't even paying attention to her classmates, instead focusing on a torn sleeve that needed to be repaired.</p>
<hr/><p>    There was one other very special child in their class who was far more famous than anyone in the school. Adrien Agreste was a full-time model, whose face was plastered on billboards and advertisements, the literal poster boy for his father's brand. And how do you get close to someone like that? Work with him, of course. Marinette was the sweet sunshine with fidgety hands who wanted more time with her friend, and Lila Rossi was a superb girl who needed equally superb peers. It was easy to let Lila in when she applied. While seemingly inexperienced, she at least was willing cooperate. Marinette was a bit harder to let in, as she always had her head in the clouds, but Adrien vouched for her skills and Marinette submitted a resume which, while rough and far from professional standards, certainly held potential. The ravenette was given a trial run.</p><p>    Lila always arrived on set with a confident smile, ready to boast and show off for the camera. She posed like she was pretending to be older, but it proved to be better for the brand as luxury designers rarely ever design something for children. Marinette meanwhile was almost always accompanied by another staffer to keep watch on her, make sure she didn't suddenly shut down on set, or trip on any wires. At the end of the day, Lila eagerly left as soon as shooting was finished, and the stern and grumpy looking Gabriel Agreste called Marinette to his office.</p><p>    For the ever moving girl, nothing much had changed. She put more effort into remembering her work now, but otherwise it was just another thing to keep her busy and her mind focused. For the new kid on the block, this was her chance to claim ever more fabulous tales. And she talked about it endlessly. It was easier to listen to something if it involved someone people were very familiar with, and even those who didn't care about fashion took a seat with Lila after hearing about how she worked with their classmate Adrien. </p><p>    Then came the girls' big break. An entire two page spread dedicated to the lineup they were involved in. Lila was right smack in the middle, leaning on Adrien, the latter wearing insect themed garments with a flattering blend of pinks and whites. The article's texts were forgotten as the whole class fawned over the photos of their classmates. And at the center of attention was Lila, a willing recipient, and Adrien, an unwilling recipient. She kept the poor boy by her as she basked in her peers' starry eyed gazes.</p><p>    "So then I passed my sketches to Gabriel, and he was so impressed that he had it made immediately for this shoot." She pointed to Adrien's hat in the photo, a fedora with a delicate butterfly hanging on the rim. "This one was my favorite, so they had it made first."</p><p>    Adrien didn't want to say anything, as he was forbidden to talk about the Gabriel brand's inner workings. Not like he wanted to anyway, when his seatmate Nino's sample track was more interesting than what actually happened during that shoot. But Lila kept talking, to anyone and everyone. She was literally in the center of a magazine, a large spread that would be difficult to miss when reading it. Around lunch time, the class separated into their own friend groups and Adrien finally had time to breathe at a table with Alya, Nino, and Marinette. The conversation was going well until the article was brought up, which the blond immediately shut down before Marinette had time to realize what they were talking about.</p>
<hr/><p>    As a general rule, a celebrity would do well not to look up their own name. If it was to monitor their PR, maybe they would look at it once or twice, but never looking into the deeper ends of what people have to say about them. The young Agreste was very familiar with this, so it was a surprise to him when not even a day after the magazine's release, Nino was telling him that social media's been blowing up with fans asking about the article. Some were interested in the clothes, which should have been the main point of the article, but most wanted to know about the new girl who was with him. It was full of mixed emotions, some disliked Lila's aura, some liked the new face, some outright hated her. </p><p>    Lila, however, was not aware that she should not look up her own name, and she gleefully replied and responded to any and all queries online. With an associate open to questions, many flocked to ask any and all questions. All the same, "I suggested the theme", "They just asked me to pose and it turned out great", "It was an honor to work with them". When asked about who designed Adrien's clothing, she told them the same thing she told her classmates. When asked about her experiences, she was quick to bring up other famous people as though they were close. Eventually, the whole school talked about Lila as if she singlehandedly made the shoot possible. There wasn't a single person who looked at Lila and didn't think of the article. Even Alya excitedly told Marinette about Lila's grand debut into the public eye, how she deserved it with how talented and excellent she was. She went on about the clothes Lila supposedly designed.</p><p>    "And she liked the hat, so they had it made first!" Alya showed her friend a photo from the spread. Marinette shot up and pointed to Adrien's hat.</p><p>    "Oh, thank goodness. The hat made it in the final shot." She sighed in relief. Alya curiously looked at her before she continued. "It was actually hard to find a fabric for the butterfly, so most of the photos were taken without the hat."</p><p>    "But wasn't the hat made first?"</p><p>    "Technically speaking, yes. But it was finished last because of the butterfly."</p><p>    Huh. Lila was half-right, but it was semantics at that point. Marinette asked for the time, then proceeded to hurriedly cram her things when Alya replied it was nearly three in the afternoon.</p><p>    "What's got you in a rush? We still have one more class."</p><p>    "Sorry! Mr. Agreste is only free now and they want to discuss something about my internship!" She all but ran out the door as she yelled out, "I'vealreadyinformedMsBustier!"</p><p>    Adrien had a relieved expression on his face as he watched Marinette rush out. He was planning to tell his friends about Marinette's official internship later on anyway. </p>
<hr/><p>    "After reviewing the online actions of Ms. Lila Rossi, an intern working as a model under GABRIEL Fashion, we have decided to terminate her contract due to unprofessional behavior displayed on social media. While we can not go into the details of her statement, we can confirm that any word pertaining to the GABRIEL Fashion brand and behind the scenes work are false. The company is strict in keeping its fashion shooting details secret. Should there be any official statements regarding the creative process of designing, creating, and modelling any future lineups, it will be announced by the official GABRIEL Fashion Company.</p><p>    As Ms. Rossi is a minor, she could not be signed as a full-time employee and thus was not given the same contract as full-time employees, who agree not to divulge information regarding company policies and workflow. However, we have found her account to be contrary to our policies and have settled on termination of her internship. </p><p>    To correct any false notions brought about by Ms. Rossi's account, we are willing to share that the attire worn particularly by Adrien Agreste was partially created by another person who will not be named in this document. Ms. Rossi was not involved in the creation of any of the outfits nor the photos used for the Paris Fashion article released recently. We sincerely apologize for her actions."</p><p>    Social media exploded.</p>
<hr/><p>    Lila had a hard time laying low. People would glance at her, think of the recent statement released by Gabriel Agreste, and reacted with mixed feelings. No one wanted to outright harm her, but no one looked at her with the same admiration they did before. There were more looks of pity and reluctance than there were adoring gazes. People weren't sure what to think with her. Meanwhile, after Alya's incessant pestering, Marinette admitted to her small friend group that she was working as an intern with Adrien and designed some items used in the spread.</p><p>    After she sworn all of them to secrecy with a pinky promise, of course.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>My understanding of autism is very limited and admittedly, I didn’t do much research for this. I’m referencing what I remember of people I know, and I don’t intend to insult them and other autistic people through my attempt of writing it. The rest of the class, however, are not autistic. They just have issues that prevent them from  participating in school normally, like anger management issues or unique private lives that interfere with their education.</p><p>"Be the next to claim it, and you're such a fake."</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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